Olympic Park Mangroves. Homebush, Sydney, NSW, Australia

What a beautiful winter’s day! It was 14°C (57°F), which is a good temperature to go cycling in. Not too cold, not too hot, but just right. On days like today, I can’t help but think about when I used to live in Canada, and how long and cold winters were there. In comparison, what we have here in Sydney can hardly be called winter at all.

I love cycling around Olympic Park (it’s where many of the Olympic events were held in the year 2000), as there are 35kms (just under 22 miles) cycle paths in a reasonably natural setting considering its history. Homebush Bay used to be a centre of heavy industry, and before the Olympics, it was nothing more than a toxic waste dump ground, set in a salt marsh.

Fortunately, the area was cleaned up, to make way for the Olympics. Luckily, a lot of the land has been returned to its natural state. It’s quite amazing to see scenes like the one below, so close to the city.